Tag: DC

A World Made of Cardboard

As far as superheroes go, Superman is one of my least favorite. He’s too overpowered and while we both grew up in the American midwest I find him to be bland as a character. Batman calls him “Boy scout” because he’s just too nice, it’s why said Bat could defeat him. Superman’s heroism comes from his heart of gold while he seeks to uphold moral justice.

However its in one of my favorite TV shows I grew to appreciate Superman. Justice League and it’s sequel series Justice League Unlimited are children’s shows but along with Batman: The Animated Series, they were written to be enjoyable for adults and children. With complex storylines, proper character development, and the introduction of my favorite Green Lantern: John Stewart.

The show found ways to make every character interesting, with them sometimes getting a whole episode dedicated to them. The Question and Huntress going on conspiracy hunts, Batman and Zatanna saving Wonder Woman, and today’s focus: Darkseid.

While Batman defeating Darkseid with pure cunning across several media is great stuff it’s Superman who has one of my favorite moments. During Darkseid’s invasion of Earth there is a prolonged battle and Superman gives the greatest monologue.

“I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard, always taking constant care not to break something, to break someone. Never allowing myself to lose control even for a moment, or someone could die.”

The significance of this is that for the first time Superman doesn’t have to hold back. Darkseid can withstand Superman letting go of his restraints and unleashing his full power. Superman recognizes this and is prepared to throw a punch as hard as he can.

There’s a reddit post that I found to provide context here. Which also references the Death of Superman story, which was the first comic I ever read. However despite some narrative issues, to me this quote defines what I like about Superman. He is essentially a god amongst humans but is constantly holding back because he’s there to protect them and not destroy. I’d say it’s comparable to Batman never killing and always jailing his villains hoping they’ll reform one day. Though while the Bat wants reformation out of sympathy, Superman wants to protect because he is a good and kind Kryptonian at heart.

If you find Superman to be a bit plain, remember he’s been around since 1938 and has been depicted in many different ways. There may be one such incarnation that makes you appreciate his character more. He’s a paragon of justice with power to do nearly anything but he only uses it for selfless purposes, providing a safer world to those he wants to defend.

The Hero We Deserve

My familiarity with “The Tick” is limited only to the recent Amazon series (2016), not the one with Patrick Warburton, so if it doesn’t follow in the spirit of the original material I cannot comment. However what it does do is make the last decade or so of profuse heroic media look as awful as I think they are (I mean specifically the ridiculous output of Marvel and DC and how not great most of it is). The Tick follows Arthur Everest and his new acquiantance the eponymous The Tick, a seemingly invulnerable blue-suited hero who is pushing Arthur to be a hero as well.

Our giant blue friend The Tick knows little about himself or his own past but is driven by “Destiny” as he calls it, to act as he does. It is destiny in his mind that makes him want to encourage Arthur to take up the mantle of hero and be the best Arthur. Between them they have the brains and brawn dichotomy with The Tick being an overpowered non-intellectual and Arthur a quick-thinking, effective planning, somewhat cowardly squishy person. Arthur being the logic of the duo can’t “hear” destiny as The Tick does but can effectively turn his friend’s desires into plannable actions. It’s here in this dynamic that heroism is explored, in one of many ways. Despite being a regular person Arthur learns to become responsible in taking action, no matter how small, to help others. The Tick is innately called upon by “Destiny” to do this but doesn’t always know the best way. They learn from each other, support each other, and in doing so help others.

There’s more I could write and with time more effectively could I write it but this is just a call to watch what a proper Super-Hero media can be in an era where the pure ideals of yesterday are covered in the equivalent of a child smashing action figures together in ugly CGI “action”. If you do watch this be warned that season two ends in a cliffhanger(s) and we’ll likely never get a season three.